DARTMOUTH — Nicki Demakis has fond memories when it comes to Country Club of New Bedford.

ED COLLINS

DARTMOUTH — Nicki Demakis has fond memories when it comes to Country Club of New Bedford.

Growing up in Mattapoisett, her family had a membership at the club, where her father, Mike Demakis, teamed up with John Wordell to win the Men's Invitational Fourball back in 1972.

"I remember my dad hitting balls off the practice tee," Demakis said. "I would shag them by catching them in a baseball glove. I always had fun when I came here as a kid."

A 1982 graduate of Bishop Stang High School, Demakis moved to San Diego after graduating from Dartmouth College and went on to earn a law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

"I've always wanted to come back here and play and I heard they needed some teams to fill out the field in the ladies fourball," said Demakis, who specializes in worker's compensation defense. "I let some people at the club know I was interested in playing and they were gracious enough to let me into the tournament."

Demakis is playing with teammate Carla Fitzgerald. Both are members at Steele Canyon Golf Club in Jamul, California, which is a lot different than the classic Donald Ross layout that makes CCNB so unique.

"Our course at home is short and narrow with flat greens," Demakis said. "This course is long and winding with a lot of undulation on the greens. It's just a great old course that challenges you on every hole."

In their debut as a team in Monday's first round of the 36th Annual CCNB Women's Invitational Fourball, Demakis and Fitzgerald were able to put together a solid round in a 7-and-5 win over Jill Albanese and Debbie Disanti, who both teed off as 24 handicappers.

"We got off to a good start and never looked back," Demakis said. "We had some fun out there, and it's so special to be back here and playing in a tournament. We're looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week holds."

Defending champions Kim Walecka and Rosemary Zehntner took the first step toward defending their title with a 3-and-2 win over Anne Maguire-Keches and Deborah Simpson.

Walecka made a nice up-and-down out of a bunker for a par four, and a halve, at the 310-yard 13th hole, and both team members had putts for par fours conceded at the 297-yard 16th, where the match ended.

"We're just happy to be moving on," said Walecka. "A win is a win, but it wasn't pretty."

Three matches were decided in sudden-death playoffs at the 19th hole.

Jean Borges made two par fours at the 303-yard first hole to help herself and teammate Robin Nunes outduel tournament chairwoman Diane Lacoste and Charlotte Oliveira.

After reaching the green in three shots, Borges made a three-foot putt to end the match.

Barbara Young rolled in a 12-footer to make a 5-net-4 par at the 334-yard 10th hole and give her and teammate Dorothy Forbes a playoff win over the team of Sue Stykowski and Elaine Ferreira.

Lorraine Duval and Fran Fernandes also needed an extra hole in their match against Ute Prevost and Ginny Rivenburg.

Duval made a clutch 4-net-3 birdie at the ninth hole to even the match and send it to a playoff, where she and Fernandes both took advantage of handicap strokes to make match-ending 5-net-4 pars at the 10th.

In a match that was decided at the final hole, Joyce Ames made a hole-winning bogey at the par-3, 125-yard 17th hole for a 1-up lead with teammate Charlene Hochman against the team of Kathleen Meeker and Eve Pierce. Hochman then rolled in a clutch six footer for a 6-net-5 par that halved the 18th and kept the match from going to a playoff.

Dianne Woodacre made a 5-net-4 birdie at the 383-yard 18th hole, and she and teammate Linda Lemieux earned a 1-up win over the team of Sue Sylvia and Elaine Seguer.

Collette Lester and Sarah Valentini built a 2-up lead after the 10th hole and that proved to be their margin of victory against Pat Harrington and Marcia Mitchell.

Mitchell made a birdie at the par-3, 112-yard 15th hole and Harrington birdied the 16th hole to even the match. Lester drained a downhill 25-footer for a birdie win at the 17th to give her team a 1-up advantage, and the match ended at the 18th, where Lester made an eight footer for a clutch 5-net-4 birdie after watching Valentini roll in a putt for a par.

In other action, Kathy Carter and Pam Debrosse opened with a 1-up win over Barbara Grunkemeyer and Helga Lind; Ann Webster and Liz Pappas teamed up for a 2-and-1 win over Karen Marcos and Karleen Karas; Joanne Squillante and Denise Belanger advanced with a 4-and-3 victory over Annette Mallen and Jeanne Bonneau; and the team of Rosemary LeBlanc and Vivian Picinisco moved on with a 4-and-3 win over Dolly Goulart and Diane Tichon.

Nancy McMillan and Cathy Sansouci notched a 4-and-3 victory over Pat Ansay and Mary Jo Ahlander; Deb Hynes and Terry Garrett were 5-and-4 winners over Judy Bowen and Vivian Bertrand; Amy McCoog and Patty Sullivan moved on with a 5-and-4 victory over fourball rooke Ellen Iannini and Jeanne Toomey; and two-time champions Sandy Tillett and Donna Doyle advanced with a 8-and-7 win over Pat Aube and Barbara Charles.